At the Water's Edge
by Rikkacchi
Summary: cover by ASK. 'His matching eyes, shaggy blonde hair pulled back, and soft smile on his face were such a sight I could hardly believe it, but I didn't say anything and kept a neutral expression on my face. "His name is—"'
I stood at the water's edge, my feet covered in the pure shallow water.

But I knew even the purest thing in the world could never erase my sins.

I remembered my last time here; two years ago, I was standing in this same spot on this same beach with Allen. It was afternoon then though; at this moment it was the twilight before the sunrise. Not that I would see it anyway, as it was very cloudy out on this morning.

Now, instead of visiting here as a trip "to relax the Queen's nerves", I had come here of my own will and was a fugitive. Now, instead of coming from my luxurious palace, I had run away from a small chapel I lived in with a girl named Clarith, as a means of staying in hiding from my own country. Now, I was wearing a tan cloak over white peasant's clothes instead of my yellow gown and now I was hungry instead of having brioche every day and now I was regretful instead of proud and most of all, now I was standing alone instead of with Allen.

So much had changed in two years, and it was my entire fault. It's my fault it's my fault it's my fault don't you blame anyone but yourself, Riliane d'Lucifen!

Calling myself by my previous name, it ignited the memories of my last visit at this place.

 _"I don't see the point in this."_

Allen had turned to me with a bottle in hand.

 _"It's an old tradition, Riliane, where someone writes down their wish on paper, puts it in a bottle, and then floats it out to sea, to make their wish come true. Would the queen like to try?"_

I scoffed.

 _"It's a peasant's game; I don't need to try it."_

But, seeing his long face after I said that, I smiled a bit and said,

 _"Allen already grants me all my wishes, right?''_

He grinned and proceeded to write down whatever wish he had thought of with the parchment and quill he kept with him. He always had them on him, for whatever reason.

I looked over his shoulder.

 _"What are you wishing for?"_

 _"For the queen's breasts to grow bigger."_

My face turned red and I started to pout at him with my fists up.

 _"A-Allen! B-but…!"_

 _"Just kidding."_

He looked down at the sand, smiling.

 _"I wish for the queen to be happy forever and ever."_

With that, he stuffed the paper in the bottle and threw it out to sea.

 _"Then stay with me forever."_

Allen looked startled at my response, but his expression softened and he replied,

 _"I would be happy if I could do that."_

Now, I went by the name of Rin. The name my mother called me before her passing and when I was still a child, saying that Riliane was too formal for a little girl. When I was Rin to my mother, I was innocent. My hands weren't stained with blood. And I didn't have this unbearable weight of guilt on my shoulders.

I want to be that person again, innocent and taking after her mother.

Rin…Avodania. Avodania was Mother's maiden name.

Rin Avodania was a different person than Riliane d'Lucifen, I hoped.

First, she did not cry. Her past life's twin wanted her to be content, so she would be.

Second, she prayed every day. "Please forgive me," Rin says, "and let everyone who was cursed to be born in this time have a second chance."

Finally, Rin did everything she could to make sure she did not forget her past life's twin.

This was one of the things Rin was going to do to uphold that promise.

I was already holding the bottle and cork in left hand and pen and paper in my right.

I had everything I needed but a wish.

I wanted so much but none of it could be granted in this life. I had one wish that couldn't be wasted.

So I put all my faith in God's forgiveness and wrote in a shaky hand:

 _if i could be reborn_

I stared at the words so long they looked like meaningless marks on paper.

But they were my rawest feelings put into five words that conveyed every part of my heart.

After staring at the ink I rolled up the paper carefully so as to not bend it and put it in the bottle, sealing it.

This is what I want more than anything else.

This is physical prayer.

I want it I want it Allen deserves it Michaela deserves it Clarith deserves it everyone born into this awful hell deserves it—

I threw the bottle as hard as I could and watched it fly into the ocean.

It bobbed up and down, the tide carrying it out of view, into the horizon.

I stood there, not really knowing what to do, now that I couldn't see it anymore. I smiled emptily for the sake of seeming happy that I had done everything I could. 'Float along, little wish, and please don't take too long…because all my feelings are in that message…'

'A message of hope…maybe a little regret…'

I hummed a melody, matching it with what I was thinking.

"Float along, little wish…"

Allen had liked singing. He hummed the same melody whenever he worked.

"Please don't take too long."

I had never sung and it felt so sad.

"All of my feelings are in that message."

I want it so bad.

"A message of hope and little bit of…" I choked back sobs. "Regret…"

Rin Avodania slipped right back into Riliane d'Lucifen.

I dropped to my knees in the water and sobbed into them.

I'm sorry.

Why can't I stop crying?

I'm sorry that I made you do such awful things.

 _"A-Allen! My God!"_

 _Allen was in his undershirt, blood spattered all over the white cloth and his hands._

 _"I'm sorry for startling you. That man was very resistant."_

You did everything for me.

 _"Today's lunch is brioche, Riliane."_

I'm sorry.

"God…" I started to say through tears. "If you can hear my wish, please give me a sign…"

I covered my face with my hands and tried to stop sobbing.

Suddenly, I felt the tears on my cheeks dry and my hands warm. I peeked through my hands to see the clouds clear and the sunrise begin.

I sat there, still in the water and let the sun's rays envelop me.

And I knew I would see Allen again.

"Kagamine Rin, Vocaloid 02, activated."

I opened my heavy eyelids to see a man in a white coat above me.

"Welcome to the world, Rin. Do you know your own name?"

My throat swallowed and I repeated "Rin" carefully.

"Good, good. There's someone we want you to meet, Rin."

The man helped me up and with his hands on my shoulders, I saw a boy in front of me.

His matching eyes, shaggy blonde hair pulled back, and soft smile on his face were such a sight I could hardly believe it, but I didn't say anything and kept a neutral expression on my face.

"His name is—"

A single tear fell from my eye.

 _End_


End file.
